Rescuing Rose
by KadyAngel
Summary: DPOV. In Frostbite when Rose goes to get Mason and bring him back and gets captured by strigoi. But from Dimitri's point of view. What he thinks and does when she's gone.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is the part in Frostbite where Rose has just walked off to break Mason's heart, only to find he is gone to find the Strigoi. Dimitri POV. Review please and thanks!!!**

**~~~333RoseHathaway-Belikov333~~~**

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I watched as Rose walked away. I sighed to myself.

I had my own heartbreaking to do. I now realized that I couldn't take Tasha's offer. I loved Rose too much, I couldn't let her go so I could go be unhappy and guard Tasha. Tasha deserved real happiness, not someone pretending. I couldn't pretend to be happy, I couldn't lie to Tasha. I walked, practically ran, down the hallway to Tasha's room.

I took a deep breath and knocked on her door.

She opened the door mere seconds after I knocked. She looked surprised, yet delighted to see it was me at the door. She smiled. I flinched. I walked past her into the room. She shut the door quietly, and turned to me, to see what I had to say, or so I assumed. She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off.

"I can't do it." I told her breathlessly. I had practically run the whole way there. I cursed myself silently for disappointing her. But I couldn't stand to see Rose hurt. Ever. Not if I could prevent it. If I could prevent it, then I would. I'd take any and every measure to protect her.

"Do what?" She asked me, looking genuinely puzzled. Man, I didn't want to hurt her, but I had to. I couldn't not tell her, and I couldn't take the offer. I couldn't let Rose go, I loved her too much.

"Take the offer. Guard you. Have kids," I told her, and she looked like something clicked. She didn't look surprised. She didn't look upset. She didn't look hurt. Why that was, I wasn't sure.

"I know." She whispered surprising me, "You love her. You can't guard me." it was now my turn to be confused. How did she know? Was it that obvious?

"You love Rose. I've known for a while now. The way you look at her, the way you care for her… it's more than a mentor student relationship. It's obvious. To me at least." She told me.

I nodded, the only conformation I could give her. She looked at me knowingly. I would have to be more secretive about my feelings for Rose. I hoped she would be more careful about putting her feelings out for all to see.

"I'm sorry, Tasha. I really am." I told her. I felt guilty.

"I know, Dimka. You should be happy. And she loves you too. I can tell. It's obvious. Stay. Be with her. Don't feel guilty. You _should _be happy." She looked true to her word. I wished I didn't have to let her down. I wished I loved her. I wished, but that did me no good.

"Okay." I told her in a whisper.

"Be with her. Don't wait forever. Figure it out. You owe yourself that much." She demanded.

"Thank you." I replied to her. I looked at her. "Thank you."

"It's okay. Go. Be happy. Go find her." She commanded me.

I nodded briskly, and walked off to find Rose. I started toward the room she shared with Lissa.

Halfway down the hallway, I ran into some guardians.

"Belikov!" My name was called sharply. I turned wondering what the hell they wanted. Rose could wait, I guess. She would have to.

"What is it?" I inquired, hoping they wouldn't need me, so I could go find her.

"There was a guard knocked out at his post. We have to do a head count, to check and make sure no one got out." Guardian Thomas told me.

_Shit! _That sounded like something Rose would do. Knock out a guardian at his post to ditch the school. But she'd take Lissa, wouldn't she? I nodded to the guardians and I rushed to the common room, and found half the students already there. But after scanning the crowd, I found there was no Rose.

_Calm down_, I told myself, _she's here, she'll be down soon_. When all the students were down in the common room, they closed the door. Still no Rose, but all the rooms were empty. There was no where for her to go. But she had to be here! I was desperate. I searched the crowd for Lissa.

Lissa was alone, looking worried, and glancing around furiously, probably looking for Rose and Christian. She finally gave up, as had I. Oh, god. Where was she? No Rose, no Christian. I had no time to worry about Christian. Only Rose. I scanned the crowd again. Still no Rose. _Dammit where is she!?_ I thought. I was getting more and more worried by the second.

"Everyone stay calm. We've just been informed of five students missing. The students are--" Headmistress Kirova announced.

_Not Rose, oh God, not Rose..._

"Mia Rinaldi,"

_Not Rose, not Rose..._

"Eddie Castile,"

_Oh god, please..._

"Mason Ashford,"

_Not Rose..._

"Christian Ozera,"

_Please not Rose! _Even though I knew the next name I still hoped I was wrong, still hoped there was a chance she was somewhere else, that she had just ditched or something.

"And Rose Hathaway." Headmistress Kirova announced to the group of Moroi and Dhampirs.

_Oh, god, no! Rose!  
_

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**More chapters on the way!!! Two reviews before update!!! Review please and thanks!!!**

**~~~333RoseHathaway-Belikov333~~~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here's chapter two. Thanks to all you guys who read and reviewed!!! I'll post more later today, or tomorrow, I tend to write fast, so I'll be back soon!!! I THINK that I'm gonna make the next chapter longer. I hope to anyway. So anyway, thanks for reading!!! Read and review PLEASE!!! **

**~~~333RoseHathaway-Belikov333~~~  
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_Shit! _Rose was gone. Not good. Where could she have gone? This was bad, very, very bad. I glanced at Lissa, wondering if she knew anything. She was crying, and those near her were trying to comfort her with little effect. Her best friend and her boyfriend had just run away. I didn't think she would know anything but I had to try. I couldn't not try. I had to try everything and anything. I walked toward the young princess.

Before I got three steps, I heard my name called, rather sharply on her part.

"Belikov!" I turned to face Alberta.

"We _are_ going to find these students. You _are_ going to help. You know Rose better than any other teacher, you are her mentor. Where would she go?" She asked hopefully. But how, and why, would I know what was going on in Rose's mind. _No one, _knew what was going on in Rose's. Not even Lissa.

"I don't know." I said dejectedly, I suspected that Alberta knew that I didn't know anything, that she just asked out of hope. She wanted to find them too.

"Go question Vasilisa. She may know something, I hope, she is one of our only chances to bring them back. She is close to two of the students who escaped."

"Were there any strigoi on the grounds? Any evidence of any?" I asked her suddenly, and desperately.

She shook her head briskly.

"Not that we found. The guardian said that he let Mia, Eddie, and Mason go, they must've used compulsion. Not that well though, because he remembered. Ozera tried to do the same. It didn't work, so Rose used blunt force to knock out the guard. We assume it was to go find Mason. They were an item, correct?" I nodded glumly.

And it hurt that she was with someone else. But I was too. She said she had gone to break his heart. When he wasn't there, she must've gone after him.

"Okay. Go question Vasilisa, report the information you get back to us. We will try to find more leads. Good luck, Belikov." She almost ran out the common room's door, leaving me to question Lissa.

I sighed. It could've been worse, she could have been taken. By _them_. But she wasn't and thank god. Now to find her, at any cost. I walked over to Lissa. She was sobbing openly into the shoulders of nearby comforters, yet they were providing little comfort from what I could tell.

"Princess, may I speak to you in private, please?" I tried to sound light and friendly, not as if I was terrified for Rose.

She nodded and we walked out of the doors.

"Do you know anything about what happened with Rose?" I inquired.

She shook her head, incapable of speech. _Shit! _

"_Nothing?" _I was beginning to get more and more desperate.

"Why would she run away with _her? _Why didn't she take me?" I knew who she meant. Mia. They'd had childish fights with her, where Mia had tortured and taunted them without end. She had almost destroyed Rose.

"She didn't. She went to get them, or so we believe." I told her my newfound information.

"But why didn't she take _me? _Why Christian? She knows that I'd go with her. Why Christian? Why did she go?" she cried.

"Because she needed someone to use compulsion on the guard. Christian tried, and failed. So Rose knocked him out. That's how we found out." I told her.

"I could have used it better. I wouldn't have failed. He can't do compulsion." She told me. It was as if she was in a trance.

"I know. He failed. Rose used blunt force and knocked out the guard. We found out. Do you have _any _idea where they might have gone? Any idea at all?" I had to work extremely hard to keep my composure from slipping away.

"No, I don't. I wish I knew. I really wish I could tell you something. I'm sorry." Lissa apologized.

"You _have _to know _something!_" I groaned. She was the only person who _could _know. The only person who would have a clue.

"I _don't. _ I would _love_ to know. I wish I did, so that I could find my best friend and my boyfriend!" She exploded, stopping her pitiful crying. She looked at me with a determination.

"I will find them." I promised to her. I turned on my heel and walked away.

"Hathaway!" I yelled down the hall at Rose's mother. Janine turned to look up at me. She had pain and terror in her eyes. I assumed for Rose. I was scared for Rose. I could imagine what she was going through. I was going through something similar, if not worse than she was. She barely knew her daughter. I knew her daughter better than she did.

I pitied her, she didn't know her own daughter. Rose was amazing and her mother didn't even know her. God, I had to find her! Dammit!

"Yes, Belikov?" She asked, her voice no different than normal, but I could see the pain in her eyes.

"We'll find her." I told her confidently.

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully to me. Her emotions flooded to the surface, and her eyes welled up with tears. I nodded to her, and walked away, to find out where the love of my life was.

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**Okay, more later!!! Review please!!! Tell me any mistakes, or any dislikes, tell me what you like too!!! I would really appreciate you giving me tips!!! Tell me things you wanna see in the upcoming chapters, you might see it!!! Thanks for reading!!! More later!!!  
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**~~~333RoseHathaway-Belikov333~~~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so let me know if you want me to write Dimitri's POV, on Shadow Kiss, and if so, whether the actual book, or a different version. Let me know. I really hope to finish this by tomorrow, there will be one, two, or _maybe _three more chapters, depending on how I do this. Anyway, read and review!!!**

**I don't own Vampire Academy no matter how much I wish I did.  
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I was briskly walking the hall to Alberta's office, keeping a fast pace, when I ran into Adrian. He bumped into me, drunk, no doubt, and possibly high. I could smell the vodka, whiskey, and clove cigarettes radiating off of him from a mile away. He stumbled around, and finally, his eyes landed on me. He smirked, seeing that I was upset about something. He _loved _when I was upset.

"What's wrong Belikov? Girlfriend desert you?" he asked smugly, smiling the whole time. He didn't slur, even though he was drunk. Why that was, I wasn't sure. Being drunk didn't seem to affect him that much. Not the way it affected others anyway.

"No. Some students are missing." I now had the fun of watching Adrian go pale, I didn't enjoy it, though. I was to worried about Rose. But if she were here, man, I would have enjoyed this. He shook, but with what I wasn't sure.

"Rose?" he asked, and there was something in his voice. Fear? For Rose? Concerned? Wow, the rumors were true. Adrian had fallen for Rose. And boy, he had fallen hard. We all had. She charmed us so easily. She was an amazing girl, that was for damn sure. If no one else, Rose would make it. I believed that with my whole being. It gave me hope.

I nodded, and he turned paler.

"Among others," I told him. Adrian seemed to have sobered up in an instant, and walked back down the hall, to his room.

I got the rest of the way to Alberta's without an issue. I opened the door, and there were four guardians besides Alberta in the room. They were in the middle of conversing, and I interrupted.

"Vasilisa knows nothing. I don't think she's lying. She knows absolutely nothing." I reported to Alberta mainly, but to the other guardians too.

"Or so she says," one of the guardians scoffed, "she could be covering for her beloved best friend, and her boyfriend." The guardian practically spit the words. He had venom in his voice, and it made me flinch, though the words were not directed at me exactly.

"She wasn't lying. She was confused. She was crying. She was upset." I defended her. She wasn't lying, she was concerned for her boyfriend and her best friend. She wouldn't lie, right? Well, I was gonna believe she didn't lie, and she'd better not prove me wrong.

"Sure, you'll stand up for her. But why? What did she do to deserve it? She is dating that strigoi wannabe. And that girl that took the princess away the first time. No one worth saving is out there. I say we just let them come back, or die. They aren't worth it anyway." The guardian mocked bitterly. It took all I had to not lunge across the table and hit him right then and there.

"Guardian Alistair!" Alberta snapped at him, "Leave, and leave now. Don't come back." She growled, her voice low. He got up, and ran out. I sat in his seat.

"Vasilisa knows _nothing?_" A Guardian Alan asked me incredulously. I nodded.

Suddenly, Adrian burst in.

"Can I talk to Belikov? Alone." Alberta nodded patiently. I walked out of the room behind Adrian, confused as to where this was going.

"What, Ivashkov?" I asked sharply.

"Rose. She's in trouble. She's in a house. In a basement. She needs help. She's with Mason, and Eddie, and all. She got cut off before she could tell me where she was. She's trapped, and she needs help. Now. We need to save her. Soon, or she'll die." Adrian let loose his information in a rush of words.

_Oh god. _It was worse than I had imagined. Pure, undiluted fear coursed through me. Adrian looked on the verge of panicking. I stormed back into the room.

"I just got news the students are together, and in serious danger. We have to find them. They are locked in a basement. Where escapes what I've been told. We have to find them or they'll _die." _I emphasized. I needed them to hurry up. I had to find Rose. I had to protect her!

Then I remembered something. Spokane. I'd told her. God, I was so _stupid! _Why didn't I see it before? Of course she'd told Mason. He was a novice, and he'd be interested. He must've gotten mad, and she went to find him. They got caught by strigoi. Oh, god, Rose.

"I know where they are." I announced. I got a lot of questioning looks, I could guess what was going on in their heads.

Alberta had the guts to ask.

"Where?"

"They're in Spokane. And they got captured by strigoi." I was filled with fear when I made the connection, but with a new hope too. I knew where she was. I was coming for her. There was a good chance she'd be alive when we got there.

Everyone's looks of confusion, turned into looks of pure fear for the five captured students. Five went in alive, but how many would come out alive, we didn't know. And we feared the answer.

"Then let's go."

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**Review please!!! Thanks!!!**

**~~~333RoseHathaway-Belikov333~~~  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hope you like it. I think one more chapter. MAYBE two. I'm also doing Frostbite, the whole book DPOV, so check it out!!! I'll do the Vampire Academy, and Shadow Kiss DPOV later. You know the drill. Read and review!!! Please and thanks!!!**

**~~~333RoseHathaway-Belikov333~~~  
**

**I don't own VA, but I wish I did.**

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We boarded the academy's private jet within five minutes. There were a crowd of guardians, and we took off for Spokane. We'd been on the plane for an hour, and had less than a half hour to go when my cell phone rang out.

I flipped it open.

"Belikov."

"Guardian Belikov? We need help. Now. We're in Spokane. We're not… we're not doing to good. Eddie needs help… so… so does Rose." One of the kids spoke.

"Who is this? We're already on the way."

"Christian. We need help. Now. Eddie's here, and Mia is too, but Mason and Rose… they need help… soon. I'm—I'm not sure what—" the call cut off.

"We need to get out _fast._" I spoke to the plane. They turned to me in curiosity.

"Why?" Guardian Hathaway asked me.

"Because that was Christian Ozera. Rose and Mason… apparently they aren't doing too well. Neither is Eddie, but he's better. I didn't get much about Rose or Mason. The call cut out. But we need to _move._" When we had almost landed I called the number back.

"Christian?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Where are you?"

He gave me a location, and when we got off the jet, we all ran, full speed, to where they'd said they were. Eddie had been bitten, and had no idea what was going on.

"Where's Rose?" I asked urgently.

"Inside, with Mason." Mia answered. There was something she wasn't saying. We got to the building. I walked in first.

I saw her, in the dark shadows, crouched over a body. My heart almost broke for her. I felt so strongly, I wished I could protect her from everything, but I couldn't. I didn't protect her. There were two strigoi bodies nearby. They were headless. She had gone through so much. I wanted to go over to her and hold her, tell her everything was going to be okay. She was on the ground, with Mason's dead body in her lap. She must've heard the footsteps, because her head jolted up to look at us. She didn't actually see who it was, but she identified us as a threat. We came closer and she looked at us. There was no recognition in her eyes. She looked deadly. She jumped up, and lifted the sword over his lifeless body.

"Stay back. Stay away from him." She warned us, her voice deadly. She looked so scared. Everyone in the room kept coming. She yelled again, sounding deadlier, and even more lethal.

"Stay back!" she yelled. Everyone else froze, everyone except me. She noticed.

"Rose. Drop the sword." I told her in a gentle voice. She looked down. Her hands shook, as did the sword. She swallowed.

"Get away from us." She told me forcefully.

"Rose." I spoke gently, but forcefully. She looked like she was slowly, slowly, coming back to reality, and slowly turning back into my Roza. I felt relieved and saddened. She looked at me. Into my eyes. She looked broken. She sounded broken. She was so vulnerable. I wished she had never gone through this, but wishing got me nowhere.

"It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay. You can let go of the sword." I reassured her, trying to make her let go of the sword.

Her hands shook harder, she was fighting to hold onto the sword.

"I can't. I can't leave him alone. I have to protect him." She whispered brokenly. The room was silent, and everyone listened to her every word.

"You have," I told her honestly. She had done the best she could've done. She really had. It hurt to think about it. She had gone through so much. More than she should've.

The sword fell from her hands and clattered loudly on the floor. She collapsed on all fours, and it took everything I had not to sit with her and hold her in my arms, and to tell her that it'd be okay. That I'd make it okay.

I wrapped my arms around her and helped her up. The guardians spoke once more, and the voices swarmed the room. She started to recognize voices of people she trusted and people she loved. I began to tug her toward the door, but she refused to move from her spot. Her hands clutched my shirt, crumpling the fabric, but I didn't care. It was all I could do to provide comfort for her, and I'd do it.

She looked like a scared little girl. I wished that I could do something to comfort her. To make her feel okay. I kept my arm around her, and smoothed her hair from her face. She leaned her head against my shoulder, and I continued to stroke her hair. I murmured things to her in Russian in a soothing tone. Guardians searched the house. They inspected it inch by inch. A few dared to approach us and knelt by the bodies of the strigoi and Mason. The ones Roza wouldn't look at.

"She did that? Both of them?" a guardian asked aloud. Roza cringed.

"That sword hasn't been sharpened in years!" Another guardian exclaimed. Rose cringed again, more noticeably. A funny sound caught in her throat, and I squeezed her shoulder.

"Get her out of here, Belikov," Janine Hathaway called to me.

I squeezed her shoulder again. "Come on, Roza. It's time to go." I tried pulling her away again, and this time she let me. I guided her out of the house holding onto her the whole way. She did nothing but what she was asked to do. She ended up on the academy's jet. I told her I'd come back in a moment and left her.

I watched Mia go over and put a blanket over her shoulders. I silently cursed myself for not doing that. I watched them talk in short sentences. Mia finally stood and left, and a moment later, Rose's mother appeared by her side. I watched as Rose bawled her eyes out in her mother's shoulder, wishing I could comfort her, but doing nothing.

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**Review please!!! Thanks!!! Tell me what you think!!! I'll update more tomorrow, at least I hope to!!! Check out my other stories!!!**

**~~~333RoseHathaway-Belikov333~~~  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**The final chapter in Rescuing Rose. I'm doing the full book Frostbite in DPOV, so if you want to, read it!!! Later, I'll do Vampire Academy, and Shadow Kiss DPOV, and when it comes out Blood Promise DPOV. That's all. Hope you enjoy, review please and thanks!!! Special thanks to all that have reviewed, and favorited my story!!! I really appreciate you guys!!! Thanks so so much!!!  
~~~333RoseHathaway-Belikov333~~~**

**I don't own VA but I soooo wish I did!!!**

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The cold weather got warmer for Rose's _molnija _ceremony. The campus snow began melting, running down the buildings in streams. It was still the middle of winter, and it was still chilled, but it wasn't exactly _cold._

Rose had some minor cuts and scratches. That was all. She had some burns, but that was the most serious injury. She was still not herself. She seemed empty, and I wished I could do something about it, I wanted nothing more than to see her happy again.

Finally, she came out to receive her _molnija_ marks. When she came out of her room finally, she looked like she was only moving because she had to. She was just going through the motions.

The ceremony took place in the guardian's building. Rose looked at the floor, and kept her head down. She looked small. All of the guardians on campus attended Rose's ceremony, but no novices were allowed to come, for one reason or another. We walked around the main meeting room, making small talk and waiting for the ceremony to begin. Finally, it began. We fell into ranks, and watched silently.

She sat on a stool in the corner of the room, leaning forward, her long hair hung over her face. The hair I loved. I scolded myself mentally. She was my student. The guardian who gave her the marks was named Lionel. The tattoo needle went through her neck, making the marks.

Every time the needle poked her, she flinched. I wanted to make the pain stop for her. I watched as she bit her lip, and waited for him to be done.

She saw the finished marks, and got them bandaged them so they could heal. She received instructions on how to care for them, and she looked like she was out in space. After she was done getting everything explained guardians walked up to her, one by one, and gave her a sign of affection. Guardians hugged her, kissed her cheeks, or just shook her hand. She didn't pay much attention.

I was up. I didn't say a word, fearing my voice would betray what I felt inside. I felt love, I felt upset, and I felt pride. Pride in what she had done, I felt upset at what she'd gone through. And love towards her. I loved her. More than anything. No. I couldn't think that. She was my student.

I put my hand on her cheek and nodded. I walked away. I watched as Stan hugged her.

"Now you're one of us. I always knew you'd be one of the best." He told her.

I watched as her mother came up. A tear escaped from her eye. I wanted to wipe it away. Her mother wiped it away, and brushed against Rose's new marks.

"Don't ever forget." She told Rose.

I wondered if she'd noticed that nobody had told her "Congratulations," because this was not that kind of thing. Death wasn't anything to get excited about.

When the ceremony was over, drinks and food were served. Rose got food, and robotically answered questions. She was a Rose robot.

Finally everyone began leaving. Guardians went up to her and told her goodbye. Her mother walked up to say a quick goodbye.

They spoke for a moment, I guessed they were discussing the fact that Janine was leaving soon. They stood for a few more moments, and then they spoke again. Janine looked surprised and then compassionate. I wondered what they were talking about. They didn't know I was there.

They said their goodbyes, and Rose went off to class. Everyone wanted to see her marks. I watched her all day, making sure she was okay. People begged her all day, and she said no every time. Shane Reyes swatted at her ponytail and tried to get a glance, but they were covered up. Everyone wanted to see.

I walked into hearing range, when they all crowded around her.

"Sorry guys. They have to stay bandaged. Doctor's orders." She told them. I smiled to myself. I walked out of the room.

Rose and Lissa began hanging out again, and Rose started to be herself again.

I sat in the gym, ten minutes before I thought Rose would come by. I saw with my Western novel in a supply room. When I heard Rose enter, I looked up.

"I thought you might come by," I said, and put a bookmark in my book.

"It's time for practice." She stated. She looked—nervous?

I shook my head. "No. No practice today. You still need to recover." I told her. She needed to be herself again. She needed a few more days.

"I've got a clean bill of health. I'm good to go." She tried to put a regular tone in her voice, but she sounded weak. I wasn't falling for it. I was worried about her.

I pointed to the chair beside me. "Sit down, Rose." I commanded her. She hesitated and then sat. I moved my chair so that we sat across from each other. I looked into her beautiful eyes. She looked different, but she was still beautiful. God, I loved her.

"No one gets over their first kill… kills… easily. Even with strigoi… well, it's still technically taking a life. That's hard to come to terms with. And after everything else you went through…" I sighed and took her hand in mine. "When I saw your face… when we found you in that house… you can't imagine how I felt." I confessed to her. She really couldn't imagine.

She swallowed. "How… how did you feel?"

"Devastated… grief-stricken. You were alive, but the way you looked… I didn't think you'd ever recover. And it tore me apart to think of that happening to you so young." I squeezed her hand. "You will recover—I know that now, and I'm glad. But you aren't there. Not yet. Losing someone you care about is never easy." I told her. I needed her to be okay.

Her eyes dropped and studied the floor. "It's my fault." She said in a small voice. It threw me off.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"Mason. Getting killed." She said. How could she think that? I felt compassion fill me. I let my guard down, and felt my emotions play out on my face.

"Oh, Roza. No. You made some bad decisions… you should have told others when you knew he was gone… but you can't blame yourself. You didn't kill him." She looked at me, her eyes filling with tears.

"I might as well have. The whole reason he went there—it was my fault. We had a fight… and I told him about the Spokane thing, even though you asked me not to…." She confessed to me.

A tear spilled out of the corner of her eye. I wiped it away gently.

"You can't blame yourself for that. You can regret your decisions and wish you'd done things differently, but in the end, Mason made his decisions too. That was what he chose to do. It was his decision in the end, no matter your original role." I informed her gently.

"I just wish I'd been able to… I don't know, do anything." She told me hoarsely.

She was trying really hard not to cry again. She pulled her hands from mine, and stood.

"I should go," she said thickly. "Let me know when you want to start practice again. And thanks for… talking." She began to turn.

"No." I told her.

"What?" She glanced back at me.

I held her gaze, and something wonderful passed between us.

"No. I told her no. Tasha."

"I…" she shut her mouth. "But… why? This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You could have had a baby. And she… she was, you know, into you…"

I smiled a tiny smile. "Yes, she was. Is. And that's why I had to say no. I couldn't return that… couldn't give her what she wanted. Not when…" Not when I love you, I wanted to say. I didn't, though. I took a few steps forward. "Not when my heart is somewhere else." I confessed to her. We had shared a lot today.

"But you seemed so into her. And you kept on going on about how young I acted." She told me. She did act young, but I still loved her with all my heart and soul.

"You act young, because you _are _young. But you know things, Roza. Things people older than you don't even know. That day…" I was thinking about the day when she and I had kissed. When she had read me like an open book. "You were right, about how I fight to stay in control. No one else has ever figured that out—and it scared me. _You _scare me."

"Why? Don't you want anyone to know?" she looked at me innocently.

I shrugged. "Whether they know that fact or not doesn't matter. What matters is that someone—that you—know me that well. When a person can see into your soul, it's hard. It forces you to be open. Vulnerable. It's much easier being with someone who's just more of a casual friend." I informed her.

"Like Tasha." She made the connection instantly.

"Tasha Ozera is an amazing woman. She's beautiful, and she's brave. But she doesn't—"

"She doesn't _get _you." She finished, making my point for me.

I nodded. "I knew that. But I still wanted the relationship. I knew it would be easy and she could take me away from you. I thought she could make me forget you."

"But she couldn't." she understood now.

"Yes. And, so… that's a problem." I replied.

"Because it's wrong for us to be together." She knew.

"Yes," it hurt, so much to say this, because I wanted her. I wanted to love her, but it was all wrong. I couldn't.

"Because of the age different." Among other reasons.

"Yes."

"But more importantly because we're going to be Lissa's guardians and need to focus on her—not each other." She stated, more to herself than me.

"Yes."

"Well, the way I see it, we aren't Lissa's guardians _yet._" I almost laughed. I leaned down and kissed her as an answer.

So much love and passion flowed between us. I held her close. I loved her with my whole being. I wished, so much that we could be together. But we couldn't.

I finally broke the kiss, even though I didn't want to. I really hated pulling away. I ran a few fingers through her hair, and down her cheek. I stepped toward the door.

"I'll see you later, Roza," I told her.

"At our next practice? We _are_ starting those up again, right? I mean, you still have things to teach me." She asked.

I stood in the doorway and looked at her. I smiled. "Yes," I agreed. "Lots of things."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it!!! Check out my other stories!!! I am doing Frostbite DPOV. The whole book. Check that out!!! I'll do the other books in the series later!!! Thanks for reading!!!**

**~~~333RoseHathaway-Belikov333~~~**


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